Metallica is one of the biggest metal bands in the world, and while they’re known for their melodic metal gems that get generations of listeners singing their songs, don’t forget that they started out as a die-hard, underground thrash metal band.Before Metallica was a massive metal band that sold out stadiums and arenas around the world, they were just some regular guys with the dream of making music. The story of Metallica begins on Oct. 28, 1981, when drummer Lars Ulrich and guitar player and vocalist James Hetfield got together after finding each other through Ulrich’s L.A. Recycler newspaper ad. I know what you’re thinking. They found each other through a newspaper ad? That doesn’t sound very metal. But, remember, these were the days before the Internet and modern technology, so band members connected through newspaper ads and print media.After first getting together, Ulrich and Hetfield brought on Ron McGovney to play bass and Dave Mustaine to play lead guitar decided on the metal-heavy moniker Metallica following a suggestion from Bay Area metal scene friend named Ron Quintana. From there, Metallica was born. And it was amazing.“Their ascent was to be relatively quick, driven by sheer work-rate, effort, and a rare musical chemistry,” , adding that “after hitting the opener’s circuit in LA (where they supported the likes of Saxon), they recorded their first-ever demo, No Life ‘Til Leather. The tape-trading circuit went wild for it, and after repeatedly well-received shows in the Bay Area, Metallica found themselves relocating there after convincing bassist Cliff Burton to leave his band Trauma and replace McGovney.”Here’s where we get to talk about Metallica’s thrash edge. Metallica started really turning heads with their thrash sound, and underground metalheads loved it. Albums such as Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets were among the best in thrash to come out of the early days of the genre. But, then, of course, Metallica released Enter Sandman in 1991, and it showed this very new side of the band. The track, of course, came off the band’s controversial Black Album, with that controversy simply being that they were much less thrash and underground and more commercial-sounding on this set.“‘Enter Sandman’ remains one of their signature anthems, and even though it’s a ballad, it’s not acoustic. But, it marked that first foray into something softer, and “while their first full foray into something more balladic, ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ empathized with the heartstrings of millions,” on their official website. So, Metallica went “mainstream,” but it’s okay, because those who missed their thrash roots could go back to the earlier albums. So, let’s talk about Metallica songs from the 1980s that defined thrash metal, shall we?Metallica’s ’80s Songs That
